Pink Week is underway in Bristol

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with over 55000 new cases every year.

It accounts for 15% of all new cases of cancer and a diagnosis can be devastating for both the patients and their families. Fortunately there are ways to mitigate the damage caused by breast cancer, through early detection and the various screening programmes.

As University starts up again, so do all the student organisations and societies. Among them are breast cancer awareness groups such as Pink Week – an organisation set up in memory of the late activist Diana Rabinovitch – who are running a variety of events this week to promote awareness of breast cancer, self-checking, and the fact that breast cancer can affect anyone, including men.

Pink Week are running events across campus this week in order to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer organisations. All the money raised at these events will go to breast cancer charities, including Breast Cancer Care, Coppafeel! and Hello Beautiful.

I spoke to some of the people involved with Pink Week about why they are running these events, including President, Talia Goldman:

‘Pink Week is important, it’s necessary and we need to get students together to promote early diagnoses and eliminate breast cancer once and for all. It’s incredible how many people think breast cancer ‘hogs the charity limelight’- it’s mad! We say, let’s turn the world pink’

‘All our events this week are all about combating apathy- getting people to have fun and join in. It’s the first week back in the new term for a lot of us, it will be a great chance to do something a bit different and help raise awareness’ Anna McMurtrie

They will be running a variety of events all week, so if you are interested in supporting a good cause and have some time to kill why not go along?

The events are as follows:

Wednesday 1st February:
Pink Talks: 6pm at the Hawthorns

Wednesday 1st February:
Pub Quiz: 8pm at the Lansdown

Thursday 2nd February:
Coffee Break and Information Clinic: 4pm-6pm at the Balloon Bar SU